Chapter 19 Clockwise around the Aegean
Ever since we left England, back in June of 2001, we had had a clear purpose for the coming season, usually dictated by the weather systems of the area we were to sail in. Now we were in the Med we had no such obvious goal. Our original plan had been to get up north to visit Istanbul before the Meltemi set in around the middle of June (the Meltemi is a strong north sector wind) but the dalliance in Marmaris had left us insufficient time. We wondered what we might do instead.
Three factors influenced us strongly. We wanted to avoid the Meltemi which affects most of the Aegean from mid-June until mid-October, sometimes blowing for a week at a time at speeds of 30 knots or more.
We wanted to avoid the places most heavily frequented by charter boats. Many charter boat skippers really don’t know how to handle their craft and it would be all too easy to have ALIESHA damaged. (It is said that the only qualification needed to charter a yacht from most operators is the ability to write out a cheque for the amount of the holiday)
Lastly we wanted to stay away from the most touristic places, such as Mykonos, where the real Greece and Turkey have been overwhelmed and where prices are sky high.
More positively, we wanted to visit lots of places, enjoy pretty anchorages, unspoiled villages and towns and clean water.
Take a look at the chart of the Aegean. A clockwise circuit seemed to meet most of our objectives and so that was what we did.
Incidentally, loyal followers will notice a new map format. We are experimenting with Google Maps. A couple of the places marked carry photos, most do not as it is quicker for you, the reader, to view photos stored on our own website. we hope you like the change.
Learning to cope with officialdom, Greek style
Pam's brother David owns a flat and a small sailing boat in Porto Heli, a small resort town on the Peloponnese south of Athens. He had spoken of taking part in a Regatta to be held there the third week-end in May and we thought we might as well go along too.
It is about three hundred miles from Marmaris to Porto Helli as the crow flies, probably nearer four hundred in a sailing boat and we had two weeks. Most Med sailors would be horrified at such unseemly haste but we figured we had been long-distance sailors and we should take care not to lose the knack. We checked out of Turkey without using an Agent, which saved us Euros 50.00 but cost half a day as the various offices are well-spaced.
Kos seemed a suitable place to re-enter the EU. Having been away for almost seven years we did wonder about being asked to pay VAT on ALIESHA again or something equally awful but in the event checking in was simplicity itself, even though the various offices were just as well-spaced as they had been in Marmaris.
KOS town was not yet full of summer tourists and so enjoyable. We met up with old friends Adrian and Jane Fearnley on HELENA AS WELL who had left England in 2001 and sailed gently down through the French canals and across the Med while we ventured further afield. We shopped for provisions, enjoying the sight of familiar bands on the shelves.
The day before we were due to depart I borrowed a bike and cycled to the Port Police office in order to check-out. (In Greece each yacht is issued with a Cruising Permit and you are supposed to check in and out of every port. Being new that is what we set out to do)
"Where are you going next?" asked the young and very correct officer on duty. "I don't really know" I replied, explaining that as we were on a sailing boat it rather depended on the wind the following day. "How can I check you out if you can't tell me your next port?" asked the officer. So I said we would go to Amorgos, about sixty five miles to the west and he duly made the entry in our document. "Um, what happens if the wind prevents me from making Amorgos and I end up in, say Patmos?" I asked, foolishly. “In that case", he replied, “you must return here, check in again and then check out for Patmos". Serve me right! I thanked him and left.
Next day there was no way we could reach Amorgos, which lay directly upwind. Instead we had a great sail (if hard on the wind) to the north coast of Astipalea, anchored in a quiet inlet, saw no officials and duly made Amorgos the following day. There we sought out the Port Police, two pleasant and bored young men who seemed surprised to see us. "You really only need to check in every month or so" they said and after that we did! It’s not a bad system if you work it the Greek way.
Porto Heli Regatta
Porto Heli lies on the east side of the Peloponnese in the Argolic Gulf. There is a large and almost totally land-locked bay and a long quay, so plenty of room to anchor or to go stern-to on the wall. The anchorage holds maybe one hundred yachts, mostly long-term residents, and Frank's Boatyard looks after them. Towards the end of May and sometimes at the end of the summer they organise an informal regatta, with two short passage races , a dinner on the Saturday and a BBQ on the beach on the Sunday. Nobody takes it too seriously and a good time was promised.
Pam's brother David had imported some old friends to crew his 28 ft Mandraki and we passed a most enjoyable week in their company, day-sailing to local anchorages for a swim and a snooze before the regatta itself and trying the tavernas by night. The others were on holiday and we soon decided that we were too. ALIESHA managed a credible 4th in the monohull class (out of 12 or so) and we were sorry when we had to say farewell to friend old and new and move on.
The parting of the ways
Cruising means you meet a lot of people, make many new friends in the course of a year - and have to get used to saying good-bye when your paths diverge. We had become very close to Werner and Kathy in LEGEND 2 and to Bill Debbie and their three children in VAGABOND HEART when we sailed in convoy from Salalah to Aden through pirate waters (See Chapter 15) . They were now heading west intending to cross the Atlantic in the winter. We were heading north.
We managed to meet in Kea, the most northerly of the Cyclades, but sadly not all at the same time. Still, it was great to spend time together and we know we will remain friends through the years ahead.
North to the Sporades
Our chosen route ran up inside Evia, the long thin island off the east coast of the Greek mainland. It took us four days of gentle sailing through smooth water and wonderful mountainous scenery. There can't have been more than a dozen other yachts the whole way. Half way up the channel narrows to a mere 30 metres at the town of Khalkis, very Greek, very modern and quite delightful.
Here there is a road bridge which carries all the traffic between the mainland and Evia. To minimise disruption it is only opened at night. A further complication is the strong tidal current which flows through the narrow gap. There is no obvious pattern to its direction nor its velocity, no question of 6 hours north-going and then, after a pause, 6 hours the other way. Legend has it that Archimedes was so frustrated by his inability to understand why this phenomenon occurred that he threw himself into the current and drowned.
All this means that the yacht wishing to transit the narrows must register with the Port Police on the afternoon before their transit, then be ready to move from 2200 hours. About then the Port Police will radio all boats concerned and ask them to get under way and stand by. And then you wait, sometimes for an hour, sometimes two and sometimes until maybe 0400 or even later. The officer in charge watches the rate and direction of the current and only when he deems it safe does he call for each boat to make the transit.
We were fortunate. Our call came after just over an hour and we shot through about 2315, helped by a knot and a half of current. It was a beautiful night and, once we had cleared Khalkis we hoisted the sails and kept on going until dawn brought a nice anchorage and the chance to catch up on some sleep. It had been our first night sail since arriving in Kemer back in April.
The Sporades
So far we had achieved our goals, meeting neither massed tourists nor the Meltemi and enjoying pretty scenery most of the way. Skiathos was a shock, noisy, busy with fellow countrymen turning bright pink in the hot sun and busy too with massed charter boats. We had gone there to meet Dick Campin, an old friend and formed business partner who had sailed with us in the BVI's and Tahiti. Once he had stowed his gear we got under way and headed north.
Happily the crowds soon fell away, both on the water and ashore. Skopelos, Alonnisos, Panagia and Skyros were all charming in their different ways and we enjoyed a good week. In Skyros we had a taste of the Meltemi which blew us out of our sheltered anchorage during breakfast one morning and kept us on board all that day for far of dragging out to sea a second time.
The Khalkidiki Peninsular
Actually there are three peninsulars, spread out over the north of the Aegean like three fingers. We had been told that the middle one offered some lovely places to visit and had agreed to share them with our friends Tony and Kate.
The map will show you where we went. High spot was the little island of Diaporos, separated from the mainland by a channel maybe half a mile wide. It offered gentle walks and lovely bays with great swimming. We'd met and become friendly with an Australian couple, Barry and Marianne off TOROA 3 and they helped us celebrate Tony's birthday in an excellent taverna on the mainland. It claimed to serve the best octopus in Greece, boiled in vinegar. After much research we believe their claim is justified!
Alone again we used a windless day to motor over the the Akti peninsular, at the southern end of which lies Mount Athos, towering over 2000 metres into the sky. This is probably the most holy place in the Greek Orthodox Church and the seat of some eighteen large monasteries and countless smaller establishments peopled by holy men. Females are not allowed on the entire peninsular and we were supposed to keep a mile offshore so as not to inflame the passions of these saintly people. Indeed, until recently female animals were also banned (!?)
Anyway the monasteries were spectacular structures, some clinging to the rocky heights, others sprawling along the shore. Nearly every one had a tower crane on the site, sign of reconstruction or regeneration. While most could house at least a thousand monks we learned from our guide book that the average population was very much smaller, sometimes as small as five or six.
Limnos and Lesbos
Now we shaped a more south easterly course. When the Meltemi caught us, as we knew it would, it would be blowing from astern and should speed us south towards Marmaris, our chosen winter base.
Limnos is not hugely popular with tourists, thankfully and we spend a couple of weeks there, mostly in the main town Myrina. The town quay was pretty full so we stayed at anchor but went ashore most days to shop, explore and enjoy the very Greek town and the ruins of the Venetian castle. An ancient ferry came and went each morning . dropping its anchors with a roar and a shower of rust and then backing expertly into a tine gap on the quay. However hard it blew (and for five days it blew extremely hard indeed) the captain never faltered or made a mistake, to the great relief of the yachts in between which he had to manoevre.
When the wind eased we sailed over to Lesbos, one of the largest islands in the Aegean. We had a cracking sail, a welcome change from all the light stuff which had been the norm all season. We stopped in Mythimna with its Venetian castle, in the capital Mytilini and in Skala Loutron, an anchorage in one of the large sheltered bays on the south side. It was a good time.
Kusadasi and Ephesus
Ephesus is probably the best preserved and most interesting Greeko-Roman city in the Aegean and we decided to see it. This involved a night sail over from Khios, checking back into Turkey (quite expensive) and a few days in the marina in Kusadasi (very expensive). Kusadasi is visited by up to four cruise ships each day and their passengers throng the streets, shops and restaurants making it all rather too crowded for our liking.
Our taxi dropped us at the gates of Ephesus at 0830, while it was still quite cool. We bought a book and hired audio guides and thus informed, enjoyed our visit. High spot for me was overhearing a French guide say to his party (we were in the ancient public toilets at the time) "The seats were all marble and pretty cold in winter. Rich men would send their personal slave in ahead, both to reserve a seat and to warm it up!"
Through the Dodecanese and into the Turkish Gulfs
It isn't legal but once you have papers for Turkey and papers for Greece most cruisers just shuttle between the two jurisdictions without bothering the officials. We certainly did and escaped notice. The word in 2009 was that Turkey was getting rather keen on applying the rules. Happily the Greeks still find the rules too burdensome.
Agathonisos must be the nicest small island in the Aegean. We could return for a week's holiday without a boat. Arki, which used to be our favourite, has seen too much development and has lost much of its charm. Marathos, just to the west, claimed our affections this time. Lipsi was OK, Leros with its Italianate capital, Lakki, was as good a second time as it was back in 1994. And then it was back to Turkey.
The cruising at the eastern end of the Kolpos Korfezi east of Bodrum and then around the coast to Marmaris is among the finest anywhere we have been. The slopes are wooded, the predominant colour of the landscape is green, the water is crystal clear and there are affordable (if no longer cheap) restaurants in most destinations. We met up again with TOROA 3 and cruised gently through this playground as the season came towards its end.
And finally, at the end of September, we returned to Yat Marine at Marmaris, there to lay ALIESHA up for the winter and to commission all manner of jobs to make her ready for the coming season.
Our Aegean circuit had taken us 2000 miles. It had been gentle, undemanding and thoroughly pleasant sailing for the most part, although one night a thunderstorm in Keci Buku nearly pushed us onto the rocks on two occasions. All this at 0330 too. After the stress and excitement of the Red Sea we had been ready for a quieter spell.
But we both agreed it had been almost boring at times. We still relished challenges and adventures. We would not want to repeat the Aegean experience another year. In 2009 we would cross the Mediterranean and complete our circumnavigation.
